The Flower Children
by ElectricKate
Summary: James Potter's life could be separated by lilies. He came into the world surrounded by lilies and left the same way. When Lily Evans was abandoned by everyone she loved, she found solace in the decoration nature provided her. So you see, nothing could stop James and Lily from colliding in the most dramatic of ways. Two children raised by nature could not help but fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

James Potter's life could be separated by lilies. He came into the world surrounded by lilies and left the same way. His parents had been told to expect a girl; upon his birth he was placed in a pink nursery decorated with large hand painted pictures of blooming lilies. One of his earliest memories was the smell of his beloved grandmother who bathed every day in lily scented soap. Her perfumes would fill the Potter's mansion with the smell. When his grandmother died, James would place a bouquet of lilies on her grave every year to commemorate her passing. He fell in love with a lily on his first day at Hogwarts when she sat next to him at the Gryffindor table the very first feast. Lilies decorated his wedding and his home afterwards. And when James Potter was eventually put to rest, his few remains were covered in lily petals and lowered into the ground.

When James first met Lily Evans, he knew she was the only girl for him right on the spot. He could not explain why even when his friends tried to squeeze it out of him. Not even James knew that he had been swaddled by lily petals for his whole life and when met with the human interpretation of this flower, he was powerless to fate. Lily belonged to James Potter the moment he was born.

Poor Ms. Evans couldn't stop what life had already set in motion. Her mother had been a flower enthusiast since childhood and insisted on naming her daughters after the most beautiful flowers in her gardens. Petunia came first and soon after the world was graced with Lily. Like James, Lily found solace in flowers; however she knowingly fell in love with the creatures that lived in the boxes outside windows and the dirt that surrounded her home. Her mother raised her and her sister with their hands constantly in the dirt, planting and nurturing the life that sprouted. In the gardens it was just the three of them and their magical plants. When Mr. Evans left his wife for a younger more beautiful woman, they retreated to their fairy land where the worries of the world could be buried along with the seeds. During Lily's fifth birthday she had been gifted with a pot in which was planted a seed of a stargazer lily. Her excitement was so overwhelming that the girl had performed her first bit of accidental magic, making the plant instantly sprout and mature into perfection. As the years passed, she would continue to make her plants thrive using her powers that grew stronger every day. Scared of her magic, her muggle mother had forbid her from using it in the beloved garden. Lily would play with the flowers in the streets making them grow through cracks in the concrete or the chain link fences that surrounded each home. The young witch was truly a flower child. Not in the way of hippies, but in the literal sense. When abandoned by everyone she loved, she embraced the decoration nature provided her. So you see, nothing could stop James and Lily from colliding in the most dramatic of ways. Two children raised by nature could not help but fall in love.

Lily sat with Mary Macdonald on the Hogwarts Express, her hands twitching in her lap. Mary sat opposite of her with a large book on her lap, ignoring her  
obviously distressed friend. Lily sat straight in her seat, while her best friend slouched with her feet up on the bench across from her. Mary's light brown hair was frazzled around her head, the short brown threads poofing out around her ears and halfway down her neck. Her straight bangs had been hastily pushed to the side to allow for better visibility while reading. Lily, on the other hand, looked pristine. Her fiery hair hanged in a shining curtain down her back and was held off of her face by a golden ribbon. She had no makeup on, but a perfect complexion, complete with perfectly blushed cheeks. Her uniform was already on and her dress robes were folded on her right.

Lily began to tap her feet with impatience. Mary glanced up at her friend and then continued reading her book. Lily sighed. Mary rolled her eyes. Lily groaned. Reluctantly closing her book, Mary turned her attention to Lily. "What is wrong with you Lily?" she said her rolls rolling off her tongue.

Sighing again, Lily replied, "I'm just so nervous Mary. What if I'm a terrible prefect?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If anyone was going to be prefect, it would be you. I don't know why you're acting this way."

"I just hate being nasty to people. What if I get to nervous to give people detentions? What if I get obsessed with the power and lose all my friends? What if-"

Mary cut her off, "Lily you're bonkers. On a different note, have you seen Marlene? I didn't even catch sight of her at the station. You don't think she missed the train, do you?"

"Of course not, she's Marlene. She's probably off snogging some seventh year."

"You're probably right. She can be quite a hussy at times."

Suddenly a voice interrupted the two best friend's conversation. "Who are you calling a hussy, you slag. I heard you shagged Shaklebolt at your parents' beach house in July."

The voice belonged to Marlene Diggory, a fellow Gryffindor sixth year and the missing piece of what Lily jokingly called the Three Musketeers. Marlene, considered by most of the boys at Hogwarts to be the prettiest of the three, had a luscious mane of blond hair that curled in golden ringlets around her perfectly symmetrical heart shaped face. Her tanned skin contrasted with her ice blue eyes that glittered mischievously. She wore a smattering of bohemian style makeup and a short color blocked dress. The delightfully mod dress extenuated her incredibly long legs and amble cleavage. Marlene was certainly not a slag and had not been snogging a seventh year. She considered herself an illusionist as well as a witch. She liked when boys looked at her and that was it.

Marlene stared down at Mary, "Well, did you shag him, or not? I hear he's very endowed."

Mary blushed. "There was no shagging going on Marlene. Just some snogging. You know I'm still a virgin."

"Our virgin Mary!"

"Mare!"

Lily giggled at her friends as she stood up. "Will you too manage not to kill each other while I'm gone?" she asked them jokingly.

"Of course Ms. Prefect Evans. We would never disobey you" Marlene replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up. I'm already nervous enough."

"Sorry Lils. You'll be great." Marlene stated.

"Bye guys. Wish me luck."

With that Lily exited the compartment. She had put her robes on and her new prefect badge shone upon her chest. Her mary-janes clicked across the wood of the corridor; she was suddenly unreasonably self-conscience of this. She focused her mind on her breathing, so that she would appear completely unfazed. You've got this, she told herself over and over again. Although she enjoyed overall popularity at Hogwarts, she could never shake the feeling that she couldn't stand up to the task. Reaching the prefects' compartment, she took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.

The room was very empty, excluding Frank Longbottom, who sat dreary-eyed looking at a piece of parchment that sat in his lap. At the sound of the door he started and looked up hopefully at the door. Seeing that it was only Lily, however, led to his face returning to its original forlorn state. Lily timidly approached him.

"What's wrong Frank?" She asked the head boy timidly.

Frank turned to her, "Alice and I quit it," he said softly as if he still didn't believe it.

"What are you talking about Frank? I just spoke with Alice two weeks ago and she seemed quite in love with you."

"She sent me this letter on Thursday. It says that she knows what I did and that she doesn't want to see my face again." He turned to Lily, his eyes seeping distress. "I don't even know what I did. I tried to floo her house to talk to her about it, but her parents told me she refused to see me. When I owled her all she replied was that the fact that I didn't know just made everything that much worse." His head fell into his hands, crinkling the letter.

Lily placed her arm around his shoulders comfortingly, "Frank, if you're absolutely sure you did nothing wrong then everything should turn out all right. You just need to talk to her about it and it'll sort itself out."

"Lily I've tried. There's absolutely no use! Maybe if you could talk to her, you could figure out why she suddenly hates me so much." Seeing the doubt in Lily's emerald eyes he began to plead, "Please Lily, she's everything to me. I love her more than I've ever loved anybody and I can't just let her go like this. I just c-c-can't." His voice broke at the thought.

Lily looked at her friend. His brown eyes stared imploringly into hers. She sighed, "of course Frank, I'll talk to her."

A smile overcame Frank's face at the news. He pulled Lilly into a tight bear hug. Lily awkwardly patted his back wishing that the other prefects would arrive, so that she could move on from seeing her normally calm friend so incredibly upset. As if someone had heard her pleading, the door to the compartment opened once again and let in two Hufflepuff prefects, as well as the head girl, Alice Jones. Taking a seat beside them, Lily moved over to the other prefects. She finally let out the breath that she suddenly realized she had been holding. Her body buzzed with something similar to adrenaline. If her first job as a prefect was to fix a relationship that was meant to be, she was sure the rest of the year would be a breeze.

The welcome feast was James Potter's favorite day of the year. He considered it to be a glorious day in which he could eat all of the food he wanted without having to sneak down to the kitchens. It was also a prime day for pranks, something that actually matter quite a lot to the sixteen year old. Today he, along with his three best friends, had already set into motion their most epic prank yet.

This prank was actually quite simple and involved a potion that dyed the drinker's hair pink, a large quantity of fireworks, laxatives, and some spells that were rumored to curse people with gray, unshaveable beards. The victims, of course, were the Slytherins. Sirius was currently convincing the house elves to put the laxatives in the Slytherin's food and his special potion in their pumpkin juice. This was easy, given Sirius's charm and good rapport with the elves. Peter had just finished setting up the fireworks. And Remus and James were whispering the curses to some fifth year Hufflepuffs they had paid off on the train. So far, all was going as planned. The only way this day could get any better would be if Lily Evans finally agreed to go out with him. He glanced down the exceptionally long table to look at the girl of his dreams. She was in an animated conversation with Mary and Marlene. James could tell from years of observation that she was trying to include Annabelle Diggory, but failing miserably. (In fear that you will become attached to this minor person, it is important to note that Annabelle Diggory is neither interesting nor important and should be regarded as merely a prop within the lives of the more interesting).

At the very moment in which James was distracted by Lily, his prank had been set in motion. The house elves had successfully been convinced into spiking the food and drink of the Slytherins and it was only moments until the other pieces fell into place. As Sirius ran into the Great Hall and slipped into the seat next to James, the headmaster was raising his hands for silence. Professor Dumbledore, one of the few people James actually respected, went on to give a somewhat nonsense speech about love and camaraderie, while also warning the students to not pull pranks or venture into the forest. Obviously, he stated, both would result in the students' immediate death. Once he had finished speaking, all four of the houses' tables appeared covered in delicious food. The students all around the Marauders eagerly began to dig into the food. It was in this moment that the prank began.

Without warning, fireworks began to pierce the false sky. Many students screamed in surprise, food spewing out of their mouths. While the fireworks would have been an adequate prank alone, it was the next part that made James exceptionally proud. While the students and teachers sat enthralled by the magical fireworks, the Slytherins were growing long beards as their hair turned a brilliant pink color. Not one of them seemed to notice for quite some time, until a screech was heard above the sound of colorful explosions.

Eloise Parkinson stood up from the table pointing at her friends as she screamed her hideous face off. Sirius sniggered under his breath. The girl was reacting to the appearance of the rest of her table. The students all seemed to resemble ancient trolls. The rest of the school, who all hated the whole of Slytherin house in general, burst out in laughter. Under the table the Marauders shook hands.

James turned to his friends, "Good job all." He said, beaming at them.

"Well it was really no problem mate. I don't know why you thought it would be so hard. I mean those elves will do anything I tell em to." Sirius replied while taking a large bit out of a massive leg of turkey.

"I wasn't really worried about you," James responded, "It was mostly Pete and those fireworks. Very unstable. Imagine if one of them went off in his face. The whole thing would've been ruined. And I wasn't sure about the reliability of those Hufflepuffs. After all, they are Hufflepuffs."

"Don't really do much, do they?" Peter chimed in.

The boys all laughed and went back to devouring their weight in food. They were oblivious to the fact that behind them crept Professor McGonagall, ready to pounce on the boys who were obviously the perpetrators of the perfect prank. Her voice started clearly behind their heads, "Boys, will you please come with me." Each word was sharp; her frustration with the group was evident.

She guided the Marauders down the hall and into her office, pointing to four chairs in front of her desk. "We expected nothing less. That'll be one week's worth of detentions for each of you. Separately," she elaborated.

James objected, "But Professor, we didn't do anything, we were just minding our own business. I think it was the Huffle-"

"Save it," she interrupted, "for someone who does not know you all like I do. I expected more from you though, Remus. But that is beside the point."

"Minnie," Sirius began, "you and I both know that you can't give us detention without any proof. Yet here we are. Three innocent, naïve young boys, just wanting to finish dessert before bedtime."

Professor McGonagall stared down at them, her eyes sharp and perturbing. "I have spoken with the house elves, Mr. Black, and they had no trouble relating to me the name of the student who spoke with them today. So you will still have two weeks of detention."

"Two!? You said one."

"Lying to me constitutes a week of detention, I would say. That is fair."

"What about the rest of us?" Peter asked timidly. While Peter loved pranks, he hated the way his mother reacted every time she heard of his antics.

"You three are lucky. I know it was you, don't think I'm that ignorant. But Mr. Black is correct. I cannot serve you with detentions unless I can prove that you indeed were the ones behind it. Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew, you may go. Sirius, report to Professor Slughorn tomorrow night. You'll be cleaning out some of his old cauldrons for the rest of the week."

The boys all turned to leave with smug looks on all of their faces. Excepting Sirius, they had all escaped punishment; much better than their usual pranks. As they reached the door McGonagall called out to them. "James, I just wanted you to be aware that Lily Evans did not appear too happy about this latest prank. I suggest you remember that in the future. Goodnight."

James turned around swiftly. He had not realized that even the professors were aware of the way he felt for Lily. He could feel his cheeks getting hot. Did she really disapprove, he wondered. It didn't matter now, the deed was done. Was this the reason why she hated him so terribly? He tried to shake his thoughts of Lily Evans as he returned just in time for dessert. However, the thought followed him to bed and refused to leave him alone.

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! This is my first published story, so let me know what you think in that lovely review box. I'm always up for constructive criticism; I always do a horrid job of editing my own stuff. And if you're wondering what happened to all the laxatives our Marauders used, you'll just have to read chapter 2! (Not really any sort of cliff hanger, but hey, I need to give you some sort of incentive to keep reading).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Following the hilarious prank pulled in front of everyone, Lily had gone to bed enraged at all four of the Marauders. More specifically she was mad at them and absolutely furious at Potter. He was the bane of her existence. Pulling that prank on all of the innocent Slytherins. Sure, they were most usually annoying and completely retched, but Severus was one of them. Sev who was no longer her friend. Lily forced her mind away from this thought and refocused her energy to hating James Potter. Oh how she hated him. He had always acted so entitled to her, like he owned her just because he saw her first. His incessant pleading to go out with him only aggravated her feelings towards him. He was evil.

Ok he wasn't evil. Lily didn't actually believe in evilness, but he came pretty close to it in her book. She tossed and turned the whole night thinking about him. From an outsider's point of view, it was obvious that Lily was just as obsessed with James as he was with her. However her obsession came in a strong dislike while his was the opposite. No matter, she could not sleep and consequently was in a terrible mood the following morning.

Around 6:30 she trudged down to the Great Hall to attempt to force down some toast and possibly some milk. She was the only Gryffindor seated at the table for quite some time. She munched on her toast and lazily drank her milk as she thought about her perfect Potter free bedroom back at home. While she was absorbed in her daydream, she was oblivious to the boy sitting down next to her. She didn't notice the seat was occupied until the person cleared his throat. Startled, Lily quickly turned and her hand went instinctively towards her wand. She was surprised to see Alex Kale, a strapping seventh year with hay colored hair and a lanky body sitting beside her.

"Hullo," he said, "do you mind if I eat breakfast with you? There's just no one at the Hufflepuff table and I saw you sitting here by yourself and I figured we could probably both use a bit of company. I'm Alex."

"I know," Lily said and then blushed when she realized how stupid she sounded, "I mean, I know because you're the seeker for the Hufflepuff's quidditch team." She hoped he wouldn't be scared away.

Alex laughed as he ran his hand through his messy hair. This was quite like what James Potter did, but Lily didn't mind because Alex wasn't Potter and she hated Potter. "I've seen you around school before. Lily, right?" Lily nodded. "Good. I thought so. You're quite popular, aren't you?" Lily was dumbfounded that he knew who she was. HE was calling HER popular. She was so nervous she couldn't respond to his question and gave him a noncommittal shrug. He laughed again. "You're quite modest. Well a little more about me. My favorite color is yellow, I like quidditch, long walks on the beach, and I'm a Pisces. "

Lily finally was able to stutter out a response, "You sound quite well rounded." There was an awkward pause as Alex expected her to continue. It took Lily a moment to realize this. Once she did, she quickly responded. "Sorry. It's very early. I don't think well. But my favorite color is amber, I'm an Aquarius, I think, and I enjoy reading Jane Austen. Do you know who that is?"

"Yes. My mother is a muggle. She was very concerned when I was young with teaching me muggle things. Like books and culture. A bit of a nut in my opinion. But I love her. And Austen of course."

"Really? Most boys I meet think she's kind of dull. What's your favorite?"

"Sense and Sensibility by far. I find it more complex than some of her others. But Pride & Prejudice definitely comes in a close second."

"I know it's kind of cliché, but that's my favorite. I like that it has a happy ending of sorts. It gives me hope that I might have a great love one day."

"Hopeless romantic, are you? Me too. I can't wait to take the perfect girl home to my mum. Show her off and love all over her."

Lily laughed, "Have you found her yet?"

"Unfortunately, I'm still looking. All I want is a brilliant girl to bring home to mother. Is that too much to ask?"

"I guess the universe thinks so."

"Ha. I still think she might be out there. Oh it appears we have both completed our toast. I was planning on going for a walk around the castle before I have to run to ancient runes. Would you care to join me, lovely Lily?"

Lily smiled at Alex as she contemplated his offer, "It would be my pleasure, amazing Alex. Lead the way."

The two stood up simultaneously from the Gryffindor table. While they walked out of the room, Alex guided her with his hand placed on the small of his back. Just as they exited the Great Hall, James and Sirius came bounding down the stairs almost crashing into Lily and her new and attractive friend. Lily regarded James coolly. James glanced down at the hand that connect Alex to Lily. His eyes darkened. Sirius regarded his friend and quickly took control of the situation.

"Evans, where are you going with that ugly tosser? You know we kicked his arse in Qudditch last year. The poor baby cried when I hit him with a bludger. Isn't that right Kale?"

"Shut your nancy mouth. Everyone knows you and Potter are cheaters. Plus, you're probably banging each other on the side."

"That is a lie and you know it. Now if you don't mind me, I'll just steal Evans away from you…" Sirius attempted to steer Lily away from Alex. She furiously jerked her arm back.

"Stop it. Black. Potter." She looked at each of them individually. "Alex and I are going on a nice walk. I would enjoy it if you went to breakfast and left me alone."

James's eyes sparked. "But Lily flower," he said, "I was hoping to talk to you a bit about our future over breakfast."

Lily turned to look James Potter straight in his amber eyes. He was taller than she remembered, but no matter. She tilted her head up as she spoke tersely. "I am not, nor will I ever be your Lily flower. You've got no chance in hell with me. So bugger off. Let's go Alex." Lily turned sharply on her heel and walked purposely towards the door that led outside. Her hair swung powerfully behind her as she all but stomped away. Alex glared at the best friends for a moment before turning and following after Lily.

Sirius turned to James. "I hate that kid."

"So do I." James replied. "Have you heard anything about the Slytherins?"

Sirius glanced at their long table. It appeared mysteriously empty compared to the hustle of all the other houses. "Looks like they'll be spending the day in the toilet. Where they belong."

Both James and Sirius burst into laughter and sat down to eat. Even though they both knew James was upset, they continued on in the Marauder fashion: like nothing could ever go wrong.

X X X

After her lovely walk with Alex, Lily had gone down to double potions with Professor Slughorn. Once there she had the struggle of trying not to think about Alex while also avoiding all of the Marauders, her ex-bestfriend Severus, and attempting to create the most effective love potion she could muster even though she was working with Marlene, who spent the entire period flirting with the Ravenclaw next to them. The class had thoroughly exhausted Lily and she was ready to enjoy her free period by curling up next to the Gryffindor fire with a cup of tea and Pride and Prejudice.

Once she entered the common room, her plans for a relaxing hour went completely out the window. The room was in shambles. An armchair had been tipped over and pages of books were strewn about. A down of feathers coated the room from pillows that appeared to be exploded. Lily was confused, but only for a moment. A streak of light flashed by her face. She saw Alice, her wand out, facing a boy, who Lily assumed was Frank. She was shooting curses at him as her heart shape face turned a deeper and deeper color of purple.

"Fuck you!" She shouted. "Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!" Each curse word was punctuated with an actual curse from her wand. Frank appeared to be taking the brunt of her anger without fighting back.

"Excuse me!" Lily began, but couldn't be heard over Alice's fierce screams. "Excuse me!" She shouted as she sent sparks into the ceiling. Alice and Frank both turned to face her. "What in God's name are you doing?"

"Getting back at Frank." Alice snarled.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, attempting to stay calm.

"The bastard's gone and screwed another girl. ANOTHER ONE! What's that? Two in one week Frankie?!"

"What?!" Frank exclaimed. "You're mad at me because you think I've been cheating on you?"

"Yes! You put that tiny prick in Scarlet Dubois last week and she told me yesterday you screwed that midget fourth year Allison Chai. She told me all about it on the train ride here. You think you can just get away with whatever you want just because you're a bloody boy!" Alice lurched forward as if to attack Frank again, but Lily grabbed her before she could effectively administer anymore harm on the wilting teen.

"Alice, can we please go talk about this without attacking Frank? I really think this has to be some sort of misunderstanding. Frank told me yesterday that he didn't do anything to hurt you and I don't think he's lying. You know how Scarlet is…"

"Yes but, but she told me that they were at his parent's party. The one that Mrs. Longbottom wouldn't let me go to. She said they were in a corner of his room and they were drunk and that they… they shagged. I know that corner. Frank and I use it all the time. The only reason she would be able to tell me about it is if she were telling the truth." Alice had begun to sniffle. She put up the front of being a strong girl, but underneath it all, she was quite vulnerable. She was also quite in love with Frank.

Frank moved over to her and put a hand under her chin to lift her face up so that he could look into her eyes. "I swear," he began with the most sincerity he could muster from his beaten body, "I swear on my dead father's grave that I did not cheat on you Alice. I couldn't do that. You're my sun. You make me shine. Without you I'm nothing."

Alice blinked tears out of her clear blue eyes. "But what about the corner?"

"I was trying to get away from all the people so that I could apparate to you. Scarlet followed me upstairs into my room. She was drunk and been trying to get with me all night. I was sitting in our special corner when she came in and tried to kiss me. I pushed her off and afterwards she passed out on my bed. I didn't know what to do, so I just left her there. I was going to tell you, but you broke up with me before I could. I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't think she would think that we had sex. I don't think she really believes it. She's probably just angry I wouldn't have sex with her like every other boy in this school has. I love you Alice. I always have and I always will. You're the first think I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I go to bed. I know this all sounds so corny and unoriginal, but this is how I feel. I'm not Frank without you. And dear, I really don't think you're Alice without me."

(It is important to note that during this monologue Lily escaped to her room. She sensed that serious snogging would follow this make up and did not want to be there to witness it).

Alice's face softened. She was coming around to believing Frank. Her face almost lit up into a huge smile, when suddenly her confidence faltered. "But what about that Chai girl? Scarlet had her come up to me and tell me that she and you had shagged in a broom cupboard last night."

"Alice. I don't even know who this girl is. You could ask me to point her out and I wouldn't be able to."

"I don't know Frank. I want to believe you, but I just don't know. Maybe if I talk to Chai I can get a straight answer out of her. And I want Lily to talk to Scarlet. Lily can get the truth out of anyone. I wish I could just take you back Frank, but I've watched my father cheat on my mother for my whole life and I won't be that girl. I can't be that girl. You know that. I'm sorry." With those parting words, Alice rushed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. She could feel Frank's eyes on her back until she rounded the corner and it took everything she had not to turn around and run back into his strong arms. But Alice Hughes was strong, stronger than her mother and stronger than the passion she felt for the boy downstairs.

X X X

The next day Lily spoke with Scarlet and uncovered the truth-Frank had in fact not cheated. She then relayed this information back to a relieved Alice who had gotten the truth out of the fourth year as well. With Lily's help Frank and Alice lived happily ever after. Well you know very well that they do not, but that is beside the point. Alice and Frank were happy for quite a long time after this and Lily found herself taking credit for saving their relationship for many years into the future.

As weeks went by following the Frank and Alice affair, Lily found herself getting to know Alex Kale. She discovered that he was a thoroughly nice boy who held open doors and pulled out her chair. He was by far not the smartest in his year, but he made up for this with his incredible smile and muscular body. Lily found herself actually beginning to not only like his physical appearance, but also his personality as well. He listened to her when she talked and allowed Lily to voice her opinion. He was dominant while not being domineering. He taught her about his favorite wizard philosophers and told her about growing up in a half wizard, half muggle home. She in turn told him about her completely muggle family. Lily began to spend less and less time with Marlene and Mary and more and more time taking long walks with Alex.

On a crisp Saturday morning in mid-October Alex asked Lily to be his girlfriend. Lily said yes. They had already shared a few chaste kisses, but today she opened her mouth to explore his. He was warm and tasted of cinnamon. He held her hand as they sat by the lake; all he could talk about that day was how happy he was that they had met at breakfast the month before. Lily nodded. She was happy to be with Alex, but did not voice her happiness to him that day at the lake. She sat somberly in his arms without saying much. From the passerby she appeared quite unhappy.

Lily was not unhappy. She was actually extremely happy that Alex was her boyfriend. He was stable. However, Lily did not believe in love. Lily believed in Austen's fairy tale, unreal love. She believed in loving objects. She believed in loving flowers and dirt and bugs and animals. But Lily Evans did not believe in loving other people. The only man she had ever loved was named Markus Evans. He had a big red beard and transparent blue eyes. He laughed a deep belly laugh that made Lily want to laugh along with him. When he came home from construction sites he would bring bits of wood or glass that had been bent into interesting shapes for Lily and Petunia to play with. Lily loved him with every part of her heart. The only man she had ever loved was her father. Her father who left one day for work when she was seven and never came back. Whose pictures were taken down and smashed by her mother. Her father who ran away with another woman and started a new family. He was the only man she gave her heart to and he broke it. Lily refused to believe in love because she believed her father had never truly loved her. This is why she sat expressionless in her new boyfriend's arms, untouched by the happiness that filled his soul.

Her embrace with Alex did not go unnoticed by those who found it very important. Specifically James Potter and Severus Snape. Although extremely different, the two boys shared one thing in common: their love of Lily Evans. James sat close by the couple in hopes of hearing what was being said. He hid his figure behind a large oak tree and his invisibility cloak. Snape, on the other hand, was entirely less confident. He sat yards away on the steps leading down from the castle. He wasn't privy to any of the conversation, but merely brooded over watching the love of his life snuggle with another wizard.

Both boys felt a fire inside their hearts. James resolved to prove himself again with some sort of prank that could get her attention. He silently noted to himself to talk to Moony about how to best get her to notice him without getting a detention in the process. Snape's fire burned more uncontrollably. He dark eyes glazed over and his hands clenched into fists. His knuckles began to whiten. Blowing a deep breath out through his dry mouth, Snape stood up and brushed himself off. His plan was much simpler than Potter's. At once he had decided that he had to make up with his previous best friend. If he could do that it would be easy to split her and her new boy apart. Snape turned to the castle with a sweeping motion of his cloak and headed to the dungeons to plan the most spectacular apology of his life.

X X X

The next day Lily sat by herself facing the lake reading her transfiguration text book. Her hair floated around her in a fiery halo. Severus spotted her immediately once he left the castle. In his left hand he held a crumpled piece of parchment that was filled with the words he hoped would make her love him again. He shuffled timidly over to where she sat. Even when he stood above her, she failed to notice his presence. That was something he loved about her; when she read it was as if nothing else existed to her. He cleared his throat to get her attention. Lily looked up and then quickly returned her gaze back to her book when she realized who it was.

"What do you want Severus?" she asked coldly.

He stuttered in response. "I-I um just wanted to-to um ap-p-pologize."

"I think you've already done that a few times. And I've forgiven you. I just don't think we should be friends anymore."

"But Lily! I just. I just. I need you. And you know you need me. Please just listen."

"I've listened to you apologize enough. I'm done."

"I know I've been a right git. I'll do anything to make right."

"Will you stop hanging out with those muggle hating friends of yours?"

"Of course!"

"You don't mean that. And you know it. You've promised to change so many times and you always break your promise. You aren't the Sev who was my friend. You're somebody else. Somebody I don't want to be friends with."

"But I can help you. If you let me be your friend again, you won't need that Kale boy anymore to make you feel better. You can have me again."

"Is that what this is about? Me having a boyfriend?"

"No… yes, sort of. I just don't want to see you do these things to pretend you're happy."

"I am happy Severus. Very happy without you and very happy with Alex. I don't care that you don't like him. I do. You aren't a part of my life anymore. You can't pretend like you know me because you don't. I'm just that _mudblood_ that you used to be friends with. Stay away from me and Alex."

"Lily please!"

She didn't even ponder listening to him beg anymore. She abruptly stood up and turned her back on Severus, heading back to the castle. She was done. Done with that toxic friendship and ready to finally move on. Severus, on the other hand, watched her back until she disappeared into the castle. He threw his apology parchment on to the ground. Much good it had done him, he thought sarcastically. He slowly sat on the ground where Lily had just been. His head fell in his hands and for the first time since he was a little boy, Severus wept. He wept for everything he had lost and for everything he had become.

**A/N: I just wanted to say first of all, all of this material belongs to the wonderful and genius J.K. Rowling. Second, please review! Any constructive criticism is welcome. I also hope no one is too bothered by me basically brushing off Alice and Frank. I wanted them to make an entrance in this story, but in the long run they aren't going to be that important and I didn't want to waste any more time on developing their characters or getting emotionally invested in them. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm not a huge fan of this chapter, but it needed to be done to set up a lot of the later plot. This chapter is also the first instance of the M rating. It's meant for readers over 17. Be warned that there is both sexual content and violence. Review and let me know what I can do to make this a little less tedious. Maybe it's just me, but it feels very slow. I suppose I'm just excited for the coming chapters that will have much more Lily and James action. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these wonderful characters or the wizarding world. All credit must be given to my hero J.K. Rowling. **

**Chapter 3:**

Lily rushed through the castle, tears brimming in her emerald eyes. She missed her Severus who had been her best friend. She stumbled up four sets of stairs before basically falling into an empty classroom. She sunk to the floor in despair. Her heart still hurt from Severus's betrayal the year before. No matter how well she was able to hide the pain of losing him, when she was alone she was forced to deal with it. Her happiness of being with Alex was ruined by her confrontation with Severus. She tried to wipe the tears off of her faced but failed miserably. Realizing it would be hard to hide her breakdown, Lily grunted with frustration.

As she did so, James just happened to be passing by the classroom which held the distraught Lily Evans. He curiously opened the door and peered around. He quickly spotted Lily and instinctively rushed to her. Once he reached her however, he merely stared down at her awkwardly. Lily looked up at him angrily. "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice sniffley but firm.

"Erm, are you ok?" he responded timidly.

"Do I look ok?" she snapped.

"No. You look like somebody died." He paused. "Nobody died right?"

"Of course not. It's nothing. Please just leave."

"C'mon Lily, please. I know it's not just nothing. I know you hate me, but I genuinely care about you. I just want to help."

"You don't care about what's wrong Potter. All you care about is yourself and getting in my pants."

"How do you know? Have you ever even tried to get to know me? If you did, you'd know that I can't just leave someone who's as upset as you alone until I can at least try to help."

"You would never understand. Everyone loves you. They'd never hurt you."

"That's absolutely false. The Slytherins hate me. And you hate me. A lot of people hate me."

"But nobody you love has ever betrayed you, have they?"

"Well, not exactly."

"Then you wouldn't be able to understand."

"Try me."

"It's stupid really."

"Evans. Lily, nothing you could say could ever be stupid in my eyes."

"Would you just stop? If you really want to help me, you won't say shit like that when I'm like this. It just makes me want to punch you in the face."

"Right. Sorry. No compliments then. You're stupid and look silly when you cry. Better?"

Lily laughed and then returned to her melancholy state. "Stop trying to make me feel better. I guess I just want to be sad for a little."

"Well that's just ridiculous. Why are you so sad?"

"Severus…"

"What's that git done this time? I swear I'll beat his greasy face in."

"No, he didn't do anything wrong on purpose. He's just not the boy who used to be my best friend. I used to tell everything. He was like my brother. And now he's just like the rest of them. And I know he doesn't hate me, but he hates everyone else who's like me. _Mudbloods._" James flinched. "I just want him back and it feels like someone's ripping my heart out of my chest because I know he'll never be the same. He tried so hard to apologize today. I knew he was sorry, but how can I forgive him for joining those monsters."

"Lily, I'm sorry."

"It's just that everyone I've ever cared about always does this. Forgets about me. Changes. They make me feel like I'm not worth anything. I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I do hate you after all." She laughed ironically.

"People care about you Lily. A lot of people. I know it doesn't seem like that sometimes, but you're absolutely perfect. If I had you, I would never give you up."

Lily stared at him incredulously. "It's not going to work. I'm not going to just forgive you for all that you've put me through. You can't just tell me I'm perfect and expect me to forget about all the times you've humiliated me in front of everyone."

James protested. "I'm not trying to get you to fall in love with me right now, damnit! I'm just trying to tell you the truth."

"So you don't want to ask me out right now?"

"Of course I do! I always want to ask you out!" James replied quickly.

Lily's face turned a dark shade of red. "Well I'm never going to say yes. Just don't try to talk to me again. You took advantage of the fact that I was sad and lonely. It's not going to happen again, so don't get used to it Potter. I'll see you in Charms." Lily stood up abruptly. Her previously devastated face had now been replaced by one of stone like anger. She held her head high as she walked past James and through the door to the classroom. When she reached it, she quickly turned around. "Oh and if you tell anybody what I told you, I'll curse you into next year." And with that she slammed the door and stalked back to the Gryffindor common room to get ready for the aforementioned Charms class.

X X X

Meanwhile all around the school, empty classrooms where be used by other students along with James and Lily. However, their use was for more pleasurable purposes. As Lily spilled her secrets to the eager James, Marlene McKinnon sat on a desk in an abandoned classroom with her clothes strewn about her. She was currently sucking face with the notoriously good-looking Edgar Bones. Marlene was not one to sleep around, but she was one to take off most of her clothing and have a good snog. This was exactly what she was planning on doing this day with Edgar Bones. Edgar Bones had a different idea. He began kissing her neck as she unhooked her bra and moved down to her large breasts. Marlene accepted his mouth eagerly. He smoothly hooked his thumbs into her lace panties and pulled down. Now for all the talk that went on about Marlene's sexuality, she had in fact never been fully naked in front of a boy before. Her mouth went dry. Edgar looked into her eyes questionably. She nodded and he sprang free. As Lily cried into the arms of her most hated enemy, Marlene lost her virginity in an empty classroom.

Marlene found herself enjoying every moment. She felt cherished and powerful. Edgar was fully under her control and she relished in this. She had spent so many years teasing sex in front of boys that when she finally gave it to one, she realized that she too had been missing out. As Edgar fell over the edge into her body, Marlene promised herself that she would have this sex thing much more often.

Ironically, in the broom cupboard next to this not so abandoned classroom were Sirius Black and Lacey Carpenter had already begun shagging. Now unlike Marlene this was not Sirius's first sexual encounter. He had in fact lost his virginity two and a half years earlier on his fourteenth birthday to a sixth year with enormous breasts. She had opened up his eyes to the world of women. Since then he had spent every waking moment when he wasn't pranking trying to get beautiful girls to sleep with him. With his good looks and personality this was usually quite easy. Lacey for example had need nearly no persuasion to retreat into the broom cupboard. Lacey, being a fifth year, saw an opportunity with one of Hogwarts' golden boys and took it. A girl would have to be crazy to pass up a chance to shag Sirius Black. Or at least that's what he thought.

He finished quickly, leaving Lacey unsatisfied. She ran her hands through his shaggy brown hair. She pulled his head down to reach hers. Unfortunately Sirius had made his conquest and was done. He pulled away from the poor girl and began to redress indicating to her to do the same. Lacey could not be deterred however. She saw his satisfaction and set about to ruin it. She took off her bra which had remained on for the ordeal and threw it to the ground. She then proceeded to touch her exposed self, greatly turning him on. He shrugged his shoulders. Sirius was always up for sex and this was no exception.

X X X

The days continued on as usual. Sirius continued to steal the innocence of most of the witches within the walls of Hogwarts and Marlene took advantage of her newfound sexuality. Sirius paused for a week as he planned a spectacular prank with James to get Lily's attention that involved setting pixies loose within the Great Hall. Lily, of course, was merely disgusted and renewed her vows to always despise James Potter. Things at Hogwarts were the way they had always been and how the students expected them to be. This is why the news James received the day before Halloween came as such a shock to not only him, but also the rest of the school.

On October 30th, rain fell heavily upon Hogwarts. The students stayed inside during the day even during free periods. The fair fall weather seemed to have finally ended. James sat in Transfiguration after his hearty lunched and stared out the window. Rainy weather was his favorite. It made him think that the world was washing away everything horrible and starting over again. His daydreaming caused him to ignore Professor McGonagall's first summons. At her second however, he was broken out of his reverie by here unusually frantic voice. "Potter," she said, "the headmaster wishes to see you in his office immediately. He has provided me with the password on this parchment. Please come up and get it and answer his request for a visit."

James nodded and strolled to her to receive the parchment. When he grabbed it, she looked at him with uncharacteristic sympathy that baffled him at the time. He bid goodbye to the rest of the Marauders, quickly gathered his things and left the room. He had been to the headmaster's office enough times to know exactly where it was in the castle and the quickest way to get there. He figured someone must have ratted him out for the pixie prank as he approached the gargoyle. He was surprised that Dumbledore was upset enough to call him to his office. James usually only got called in when he had accidently injured a student or severely damaged school property.

"Chocolate frogs." He said to the gargoyle. It instantly jumped aside, revealing the steps that led to Dumbledore's office. He knocked on the door without hesitation. Whatever Dumbledore was angry about, James was sure he could smooth over. He always did after all. However, when the door swung open, he was surprised to see his mother in the office along with the headmaster. In all of his years of troublemaking his mother had never been called to Hogwarts. At this point James began to get worried. Perhaps he was being expelled? He hoped to Merlin he wouldn't be. He looked over at his mother who sat upright in a leather armchair. Her eyes were rimmed with red and she looked like she had been crying.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter." Dumbledore began. "I called you into my office so that you could speak to your mother privately. I'm sorry to tell you that she has some unfortunate news."

"I'm getting expelled, aren't I?" James replied quickly. "I swear Professor, I can change. Just please don't expel me."

"My dear boy, you are one of this school's brightest students. A few pixies isn't going to get you expelled. This is about an entirely different matter. Mrs. Potter, I'll leave you two to talk. I'll be in the other room if you need me. I have crumpets and tea if you want any." With a sweeping motion, he left the room, taking his regal air with him.

James turned to his mother, "What's wrong mum? You look a little strange. Did something happen to one of the house elves?" She shook her head no as she clutched her handkerchief tightly. "Than what is it?" He continued. "What happened?"

"Your father." She squeaked. "This ministry was attacked earlier today. Your father… he… he…" Mrs. Potter began to break down and could not finish her story.

"He what mum! You can't just start a story like that and not tell me what happened!"

"He's dead James. You're father's dead."

"You're joking and it isn't funny."

"They told me it was the death eaters. Those revolutionaries that keep crying for blood purity. They took out half of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for being 'blood traitors.' Dad was the first to go."

"Mum. Stop it."

"James, I'm not lying to you. I want to take you home with me for a few weeks until we can get this all sorted out."

"What are we gonna do without Dad? I don't understand why they had to kill him. Just because he's kind to everyone? It's insane."

"Come home with me James. We both need it. At least until after the funeral."

"Of course. Sirius can come though right? He's practically family. Dad was just as much Sirius's dad as he was mine."

"I'll think about it tomorrow James. I've dealt with enough today. Just go to your dorm and pack your things. You can owl your friends what happened once we're home. I want to get out of here as soon as we can. Can you please hurry for me?"

"Yes. I'll be back quickly."

"Thank you James."

James hurried out of Dumbledore's office while simultaneously pulling his two way mirror out of his bag. He called Sirius's name as he turned the corner. A moment later Sirius answered. "What is it you git? I'm hiding in Murtle's bathroom right now. I told Minnie that I was about to have a bathroom emergency, but I can't talk for long."

"Sirius. Dad's dead."

"What."

"You know your brother's older friends? The one's going around calling for blood purity and shit. Well they broke into the ministry and offed my dad. I have to go home. Tell the others for me. Mum wants to be home as soon as possible."

"James, I have to come with you guys. I can't not be there for you and your mum. And your dad. He was one of the only adults who ever made me feel worth anything. Where are you? I'll be there yesterday."

"Meet me in the Common Room. I don't know if my mum let you come with us, but it's worth a try. Send a message to Moony."

Both boys returned their mirrors into storage and hurried off to meet one another. On the way Sirius sent a paper airplane message to Remus in transfiguration, hoping he would be gone before he had a chance to get in any trouble. Once in the Common Room the boys hurried to their dormitory to pack. Within three minutes they were already rushing back to Dumbledore's office.

James opened the door to the office and announced their presence. "I'm here. Sirius is too. He's coming mum. It'll be fine. He deserves to come home with us."

Mrs. Potter shook her head and beckoned the boys to the fireplace. "I guess there's nothing I can do about it. Just floo home. I have to sort some things out here. I'll be at home soon boys. Be good." She kissed them both and held James in a long embrace before returning to the leather chair she had occupied when James had first entered the room

X X X

The days past in a blur. Within a day, the whole school had been informed of the massacre at the Ministry, as well as the death of James's father. The Daily Prophet was quick to spread news. Multiple other students failed to appear the next day at breakfast because of deaths in their families too. However, Mr. Potter's death seemed the most tragic to the whole school. A long time benefactor of the school, Mr. Potter was known by many magical families as a kind and powerful wizard. The wizarding community too grieved his absence; as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he had kept the peace between the rebels and the ministry for the past couple of years. It seemed that with his passing all hell was breaking loose. Already two muggleborns had been found slaughtered in their homes and the Slytherins jeered threats at those in school.

At the Potter household, James and Sirius stayed in their rooms, occasionally trying to strike up conversation, but always failing miserably. James had become unresponsive to all attempts at communication. He merely wandered from room to room in his house with a dazed look on his face. Three days after his father's murder, Sirius found him in the Potter's library, surrounded by books and weeping uncontrollably into a tattered copy of Hogwarts: A History. Mrs. Potter too became equally unresponsive. She spent the first week home locked in her room, relying on her house elves to feed the two boys.

The day before his father's funeral James found himself at the door of his father's study. The room had been a place of awe for James while he was growing up. He could remember being a young boy peeking in through the crack in the door to admire his father. Once he had started reading his dad had rarely let him see the study anymore. But every so often he would catch a glimpse of his father's special space. He never would have imagined himself in this moment. His hand shook as he reached for the ornate handle. Hesitantly, he entered the room.

Immediately a darkness enveloped him. The smell of his father's cologne washed over James in a heavy wave. He blinked back tears as he stepped inside. He ignited the lights around the room with a flick of a magic switch. Flames burst into light around the room in their containers illuminating the room. James sucked in a quick breath. This room was hardly recognizable from the one of his childhood memories. Strung around three walls were hundreds of moving pictures. Each one more horrific than the next.

He approached a rather large picture that hanged behind his father's desk. It stood out from the others in size and content. It showed a man's body cut apart; he was apparently still alive and twitched as the camera switched focus to the scene behind him. Slowly a green haze of smoke floating behind what was left of a house came into focus. It appeared to be a snake and scull printed in the night sky. James touched the edge of the picture with his heart in his mouth. He moved along to see other pictures of this green cloud. On his father's desk lay other photographs of injured witches and wizards. A child sad in a high chair with her head placed on the table in front of her. An old man looked frightened to dead in his bathtub. One pictured an entire family that appeared to have been burned to death. Along the bottom of each picture was scribbled almost illegible writing. His father's writing. James deciphered a few sentences. "Rose family; slaughtered for teaching in muggle primary school." One read. Another, "Cloud now known as 'Dark Mark' above Johnson home." "Self-proclaimed 'Death Eaters' kidnap two muggle children and drown them in lake."

James felt bile rise in his throat. If he had eaten anything he would have immediately thrown it up. However, he had not eaten in several days and merely dry heaved onto the floor. This is what his father had been doing all of the nights he spent in the study. The pictures looked bad, but James dreaded what was to come now that his father wasn't there to stop it.

X X X

A week later Sirius and James returned to Hogwarts. Students were eager to find out the gossip surrounding Mr. Potter's death, but both boys spent little time around the castle unless they were in class. The other students, much to their dismay, were met with little information about the Potter family. James refused to talk to even his own friends about his feelings. He walked around school like a zombie. He communicated with nods and head shakes; the teachers even became worried about him.

The end of November came quicker than usual; the drama had made every day much more interesting. A full moon was approaching and the Marauders-excluding James-were preparing for their monthly outing. The three boys sat alone in their dormitory discussing James's current state of depression.

"You don't think he would skip out on the full moon, do you?" Peter asked his best friends.

"I don't know Pete." Remus replied.

"He wouldn't abandon you Moony. He's the one that figured out how we could help you. He would never not come with us."

"He's been acting pretty abysmal lately though Padfoot." Remus countered back.

"I suppose I can try to speak with him. If I can't about this than it's hopeless." Sirius said. "Do either of you know where he went off to?"

"I'm not sure." Peter replied. "He hasn't even been sleeping in here. I only see him in class now. Does one of you have the map?"

"No. He took it from me the day you two got back and hasn't returned it. He isn't answering the mirror either." Said Sirius with frustration.

The boys continued to discuss the state of their fourth best friend until dinner that night. They then waited up for James to come to sleep, but he never appeared. The boys fell asleep anxious to know how to find, let alone help, James Potter. It would be some time before they were privy to the answer.


End file.
